Exploring Strasbourg’s Christmas Markets

Since 1992, Strasbourg has been officially dubbed the Capital of Christmas. Every year, the city’s squares play host to 15 official Christmas markets, with over 300 market chalets. Strasbourg’s Christmas markets typically run from late November to late December.

Strasbourg looks like a scene from a fairytale all year round, but add Christmas decorations and twinkling lights and it’s just magical. This year, to celebrate our anniversary, Aleks and I decided to visit the markets and explore the city. If you’re thinking of visiting next year, maybe this post will help you plan your trip.

About Strasbourg Christmas Markets

Strasbourg’s history of Christmas markets goes back to the late 1500s, making it one of Europe’s oldest markets.

There are more than 300 chalets dotted around the city in various town squares. Maps across the city make it easy to locate different market spots. The main market locations are right Place de la Cathédrale, Place Kléber, Place Broglie, and in the Petite France region of the city.

Some markets are tailored around specific themes, such as local artisan goods, or stalls run by charities.

The markets are open each day from 11:30 until 9 pm (except for Christmas Eve, when they close at 6pm). It gets incredibly busy in the evenings. We went on a Thursday evening and again during the daytime on a Friday. If you want to avoid crowds, aim to go during daylight hours.

Food and Drink

In nearly every one of the market areas, you will find stalls selling vin chaud, or mulled wine. You’ll spot them straight away by the smell of spices, and the waft of steam coming from the big copper pots or black cauldrons.

They offer both red and white wine options, with many stalls selling spiced hot apple juice as a non-alcoholic alternative (and equally delicious!). There’s something so cosy about holding a warm drink in cold hands.

To keep things sustainable, drinks in Strasbourg’s Christmas markets are served in reusable plastic cups. You’ll be charged a small deposit of about €2 per cup. Then, you can either return the cups to get your deposit back, or keep them as a souvenir.

There are plenty of stalls selling snacks too, however there are limited vegan options. For my plant-based brethren, options are mostly pretzels and fries – although we did find one stall in Place Kléber selling vegan galettes.

Vegan tips for visiting Strasbourg:

On the whole, Strasbourg is not an exceptionally vegan-friendly city. You will find some restaurants on Happy Cow, and you may come across others who are happy to adapt their dishes.

However, I have generally found French supermarkets to be pretty good for vegan food. We booked an Airbnb with a kitchen for this reason, and cooked most of our meals ourselves in Strasbourg. We went to the Monoprix by Place Kléber when we arrived and stocked up.

Where to stay for Strasbourg’s Christmas markets

Strasbourg has so much to explore, but if you’re travelling for the Christmas markets, you’re probably going to want to stay right in the heart of the action. The Grande Île is an island right in the centre of the city, with the River Ill on one side, and the Canal du Faux-Rempart on the other. This is where you’ll find the historic centre with the beautiful half-timbered Alsatian buildings, and most of the Christmas markets.

We stayed in an Airbnb right between the Cathedral and Place Kléber, about a 5 minutes walk from each. We could see the spire of the Cathedral from the bedroom window, and it was perfect for us.

I can’t recommend specific hotels, but some areas worth looking at for your stay are:

• Petite France: A beautiful neighbourhood near the Christmas markets. It’s still in the historic centre, and surrounded by the gorgeous traditional Alsatian buildings.
• Near the cathedral: This is, unsurprisingly, going to be busy. It’s the most convenient geographically, but do be aware that there’s a lot of hustle and bustle.
• Neudorf: This neighbourhood is just south of the main city centre. It’s connected to the centre by tram. This could be a good option if you want a quieter, more residential neighbourhood, without sacrificing good transport links.

Tips for visiting Strasbourg’s Christmas markets:

Overall, I loved Strasbourg. It’s a magical city, and I had the nicest two days exploring with Aleks. If you decide to go, I hope you love it too. Hopefully these tips help you get the most out of your visit:

• Toilets are not easy to find. There are some public toilets on Place Kléber, at the opposite end of the Christmas tree. These are free to use. Nearby, the department store Printemps also has toilets, but charge to use them.
  The maps showed public toilets near the cathedral, but I couldn’t find them and signage was poor.
• Restaurant reservations: It gets so busy when the market is on, so if you do want to try some of the local restaurants, I recommend making reservations.
• Arriving by plane: The airport has a train station that will take you right into the centre of the city. At about €4, it’s far cheaper than a taxi.
• Arriving by train: The city centre is about a ten minute walk from the main train station, with trains arriving from all over France.
• Security measures: The city centre was blocked off from traffic, with security at main entrances into the city. I was asked to unzip my suitcase so the guards could check I wasn’t carrying anything dangerous. While this may seem inconvenient, it is unfortunately necessary and helps keep everyone safe.
• Crowds: The markets get crowded after dark. It’s a tradeoff, because the city looks so beautiful lit up at night, and the market looks so cute and festive. I found a good balance in visiting during the day to properly see all the stalls and what they had to offer, and visiting in the evening for a vin chaud and the atmosphere.